For King And Country
by PuttingQuillOnParchment
Summary: Walter and his thoughts before he dies.


Walter was stuck in one of the horrible battle charges that he had come to regard with abhorrence. The handsome, dark-haired lad had never really hated anything before, but the war had seen to that: now he was used to viewing this dirty fighting with loathing. All this destruction, all this fighting, and it was capable of being settled in a more peaceful way ...

He was perched sturdily on his horse, absent-mindedly stroking it as his Commander-in-Chief, General Haig, issued orders. Walter had always been the one who floated in between periods of daydreaming. In a corner of his mind that was reserved for sweet reminiscing, he replayed scenes from his treasure chest of memories: golden days of childhood in which he basked under the sunlight in Rainbow Valley while the rest of the Ingleside and manse children shrieked happily amid the autumn leaves, playing, unaware of the war that would taint their future and mar it with its merciless caress ...

"Hey you! Over there!" Walter was broken out of his fancies - the wall of dreams shattered with that brisk voice and suddenly he was facing reality.

General Haig had begun treating Walter with respect after he got awarded a D. C. Medal. The poem the boy - or rather, the man the war was turning him into - had written acted as a contributing factor to heighten Haig's liking for Walter. But now, Walter sensed that he had started irritating Haig off once again with his habit of flitting into memories of his home.

Walter turned his head to look at General Haig as the latter spoke again, his voice sharp and cutting like the winter wind.

"You, you'll be in charge of leading the cavalry here. The same battle charge routine, remember!"

Walter nodded, even though the man couldn't possibly see the action from where he was standing, and gently coaxed his horse into moving forward and slightly to the right. "Go on, Faith," he murmured, using the nickname he had given his horse and which reminded him of Faith Meredith. He knew it was no use fancying her now, as Jem had made his love for her obvious (not to mention, the feeling was mutual as far as Faith was concerned). Still, Walter couldn't help but think of her every now and then.

In the next ten minutes, Walter's mind was occupied by concentrating on the battle charge. They were nearing the end of it when -

CRACK.

The sound of a bullet being released by a gun filled the air: all Walter could hear was a low whooshing as the bullet soared through the air, before striking him in the chest. Walter couldn't react for a moment - his steady breathing turned to great rasps as he struggled to register the shock in his mind: he was dying, really and truly _dying_ ...

But after a few long minutes of coming to terms with the reality of it all, Walter magically and miraculously became calm once again. He knew why he was dying: he was dying while fighting, he was going to go 'west' in the middle of combat ...

Thoughts of his family and his close friends poured into his brain, but most of all, images of Rilla and Una filled his mind - now no longer numb with the bombshell of a shock the bullet brought with it.

It was the best way a man could die, really. For king and country. And that was what satisfied Walter as his vision became blurred and his head fell on his horse's neck and rested there, and as he slowly and painlessly entered the void.

* * *

**A/N:** Hello, everyone! Now, I dislike adding pointless Author's Notes but in this case I felt I had to write one.

Anyway, this is my first story, and I want you all to know that reviews will be loved. If you have any constructive criticism to offer, feel free to share it as it will be appreciated. So please, spare a moment or two to tap out a few sentences, letting me know what you think of the story!

I did a lot of research before writing this, because I'm not very informed about all the things they do in battles - like charges, for instance - so I hope everything is accurate. If something is not, however, feel free to point it out.

Have a nice day! (Or night, if it is so where you live.)


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